


The Bite is a Gift

by Aunt Pol (Willow2013)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Character Study, Derek Hale Character Study, Gen, Meta, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-03-05 12:05:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3119555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willow2013/pseuds/Aunt%20Pol
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Meta thoughts on why Derek Hale sees the 'bite' as a gift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bite is a Gift

**Author's Note:**

> There's no right or wrong here, just my thoughts on this bit of character study on Derek Hale. (Edited somewhat from my original tumblr post)

The first we hear about how Derek feels about the bite is this dialog in 1x01.

_  
Derek: Hunters. The kind that have been hunting us for centuries._

_Scott: Us? You mean you! You did this to me!_

_Derek:. Is it really so bad, Scott? That you can see better– Hear more clearly, move faster than any human could ever hope? You’ve been given something that most people would kill for. The bite is a gift._

_Scott:. I don’t want it._

_Derek: You will. And you’re gonna need me if you want to learn how to control it. So you and me, Scott– We’re brothers now._

As we have gotten to know Derek through the seasons (current up through season 4), we know that he cares for his fellow werewolves, he places a certain amount of trust in them. His first foray into friendship/partnership with Scott back in season 1 was his looking for brotherhood, someone he could rely on, someone he could trust to help him take down the Alpha.

His belief that the bite is a gift is further reinforced by his uncle Peter when he is a teenager. Part of being born a werewolf, raised in a family of weres is the knowledge and understanding that pack bonds means family. When he told Scott that they were brothers now, he meant it. Of course, we know that Scott did not feel the same way and we saw the struggles throughout season 1 between them.

In season 2, as Derek started to build his own pack, in addition to increasing the pack numbers for safety, we also now know that he was trying to build a family, not just for himself but for the others. Once Scott asked to join them, Derek readily accepted him, not just into the pack, but into his family.

Now let us look at what happened in the season 2 finale:

_  
Derek:. Scott, don’t. You know that he’s gonna kill me right after. He’ll be an Alpha._

_Gerard: That’s true. But I think he already knows that, don’t you, Scott? He knows that the ultimate prize is Allison. Do this small task for me, and they can be together. You are the only piece that doesn’t fit, Derek. And in case you haven’t learned yet, there is just no competing with young love._

_Derek: Scott, don’t! Don’t!_

_Scott: I’m sorry. But I have to._

 

Derek told Scott no. He tried to reason with Scott. He begged Scott not to.

But Scott did it anyway.

The bite that Derek sees as a gift. The bite that in Derek’s mind forms pack. Family.

The bite. And Scott forced Derek to give that gift to a monster.

  
And no one in that room understood what was taken away from Derek at that moment.

  
And that, I think, is the true tragedy.


End file.
